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Eric Scheske

Festivus for the Rest of Us!

What's next? The silver pole? > It worried Mitra Sen when pupils at her school were not allowed to take part in multicultural celebrations because their parents didn't want them to be exposed to different cultural and religious beliefs. > Afraid these kids would be deprived

Christmas Beatings Permitted

> Austria's traditional Christmas devils have been given police clearance to carry on smacking people's back-sides. > Locals in towns across the country dress up as either St Nicholas, handing out sweets to the good, or as the devil, handing out beatings to the bad.

This is Too Fitting to Succeed

A reader sends this along: > A preservation group plans to spend $600,000 to renovate the rundown guard room at the Ohio State Reformatory, the imposing old prison where "The Shawshank Redemption" was filmed. > The Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society hopes to rent the room for weddings

Orthodoxy in Hollywood

> "The problem with Hollywood movies today is not necessarily stupidity or too much sex and violence. It's that in too many of today's movies, characters never change. . . . > "Liberal orthodoxies about politics and culture have become sacramental in some circles, and better to

Lotto Winnings Buy A Lot of Pabst

The boorish person who earns a lot of money doesn't become demure. In fact, he becomes more boorish. Likewise, the low class person who wins the lottery stays low class and, it appears, becomes even more low class. NYT Link [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/05/national/

Detroit in Even Bigger Trouble?

Sebastian Mallaby at WaPo says India and other formerly-third world countries are ready to jump into the automobile market [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/04/AR2005120401094.html] . Can our car makers continue to pay factory workers $30 an hour and executives tens of millions?

Intuitive Eating

This has too much common sense to catch on. Heck, if you take this to its logical conclusion, you'll be back in the Dark Ages and talk about gluttony and temperance. > When Steven Hawks is tempted by ice cream bars, M&Ms and toffee-covered almonds

The Spread of the Oxymoron

A survey of gay marriage around the globe [http://www.breitbart.com/news/na/051204034933.6vavx6e8.html]. It's woefully incomplete, but still interesting. Summary: The Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Spain and (later this month) Britain: Recognize gay marriages. South Africa: Highest court has ordered parliament to recognize gay marriage.

New JPII Book

Richard John Neuhaus praises Peggy Noonan's John Paul the Great [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0670037486/thedailyeudem-20]. Link [http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=92].

IGRA

Excuse my off-color comment, but I thought quips about the rump rodeo were just jokes [http://www.igra.com/].